BILL BARCLAY, London | Friday 9.00am.
WORLD Champions South Africa and Australia will provide two very different versions of southern hemisphere rugby at Twickenham this Saturday when they battle for a place in the World Cup final.
The contrast in style of the two sides is encapsulated in the fly-half contest between South Africa’s Jannie de Beer and Australian opponent Stephen Larkham.
De Beer is the man who kicked a world record five successful drop goals in the quarter-final win over England in Paris.
Larkham, by contrast, is a playmaker who admits he very rarely kicks the ball at all, let alone drops for goal.
Larkham was missing through injury the last time the two sides clashed, and South Africa won that match 10-9 in Cape Town to restore some pride after a disastrous Tri-Nations campaign.
Wallaby coach Rod Macqueen admits his stand-off is still not quite back to his best but knows the 25-year-old is a potential matchwinner.
“Larkham is only just coming back in and his game isn’t as good as it has been in the past, but that’s understandable,” said Macqueen.
Springbok coach Nick Mallett reckons de Beer, who has kept Henry Honiball out of the number 10 shirt, has the potential to become South Africa’s answer to All Black matchwinning fly-half Andrew Mehrtens.
“You can’t ignore a player who averages 12 to 15 points per match,” Mallett said.
“Jannie is a very exciting prospect for us. He can be developed into the type of player that Andrew Mehrtens is. Mehrtens gives very good service with the ball, he kicks the bad ball really well and he knows how to read the game.”
Australia know that to earn the right to play their 15-man rugby, they will have to first match the bruising power of the Springboks in the forwards.
Macqueen is relieved Wallaby captain John Eales is ready to start in the second row despite concern over a nagging groin injury.
Dynamic number eight Toutai Kefu returns to the side after his suspension for fighting against Ireland two weeks ago, and he is all too well aware of the physical challenge his side faces.
“Games against them are more physical than Test matches against either the All Blacks or England,” said the 25-year-old.
Kefu’s duel with opposite number Bobby Skinstad, the golden boy of South African rugby, promises to be another highlight of the match.
Skinstad, though, is more concerned about helping to limit the scope of the the unorthodox Larkham, whose deceptive style and creative brain proved too much for Wales in the quarter-finals.
Tries could be at a premium on Saturday – Australia have conceded just one so far and South Africa two.
Mallett, who is 43 on Saturday, acknowledges that a sound defence is essential to create the platform for exploits like those of de Beer.
Prop Os du Randt will make his 38th Test appearance, making him the most capped prop in Springbok history.
Andre Venter will become their most capped flanker, winning his 39th cap. — AFP